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Thank you Raimey!

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“I don’t focus on what I’m up against. I focus on my goals and I try to ignore the rest.”

~Venus Williams

Thoughts come and go. Topics often change like the wind. Depending on where we sit in any given moment, we might be completely focused on a task thinking about a scene and a character in this scene that has to get from A to B when before we know it, we get lost in the picture we’re seeing, the action we’re creating, or the back and forth dialogue unfolding as we type. We finish it. Maybe we reread and think, “Yes, this is it.” Maybe we have time to tackle another scene and we begin to … but a problem arises. The scene we just wrote didn’t happen like the plan. Suddenly the plot is derailed. The characters have shifted all out of whack. Now we have two different stories with thousands of words we’ve just written and we don’t want to cut them.

Ever been there?

Today, I’m sharing what I am doing to maximize my time with my new work in progress and stick to my goals. I’ve always been one to outline, but I’ve also been easily derailed by the shifting images in my head as I write.

1. Note Cards. I started this technique this time with color coded tabs for each ACT. Each card has the Act and scene number at the top. A quick external or internal line is written on the front. On the back side I have listed the time, date and place, all the majors characters in play, and a two or three sentence plot summary. The last line on the card lists the impact whether I’m revealing a clue, leaving with a cliff hanger, or a question the protagonist must face. I can shift these cards. I can touch them. NEXT, I generate the digital outline.
2. The Pages APP. Currently, I have retyped my outline from my note cards into this app. It gave me time to reprocess. I also came up with a few add-in scenes I missed the first go-round. I can also pull out my phone and take a peek on a lunch break or after work when my computer might not be handy.
3. The 3-Ring Binder. This time, I’m printing my outline. I’m also printing off my character notes and keeping them handy right next to me as I write. I hope by keeping these pages in front of me and glancing at all the details before I start to write, I’ll eliminate distraction and focus on the end goal.
4. Streamlining New Ideas. If a new idea happens to sneak in, I read about an APP to use: Remember the Milk. I came across it on an article on planning your novel. I’ve downloaded the app and I hope to use it and capture new ideas then compare them with what I currently have before I get lost in them. I’ll let you know next month how it pans out. 🙂

Question: Do you have any other great tidbits or ways to organize your writing that helps you stay on track? I’d love to hear them.

One last thought: